advertisement


Old Motorcycle help

W

winchman

pfm Member
I know its a long shot but if you don't ask.
My son went to an Auto Jumble and bought an engine as he thought it was from a bike, turns out its a 1934 Royal Enfield Model A.
So whilst looking for parts he find a 70% complete bike ( It was miles away too I know I collected it).
So here we are, two gear boxes both in bits and no idea how they should go together so any thoughts help would be appreciated.
We have three engines one seized two with the barrels off.
He wants to just get it back together and running, so he needs Wheels, mudguards, lights some of the fork parts.
Initially he can't afford originality so he is looking for any period bits just to get it back on the road.
Any help would be appreciated as it looks like there is very little info on these bikes, Royal Enfield etc don't seem to bother with pre war stuff?
We cant even find one in a museum?
 
I looked it up. It's a 225c.c. 2T single, RE's answer to the BSA Bantam. No great performance but nice enough. Low value, so hard to restore and make a profit. You could probably get it rolling with bits that you could make fit but it would be a labour of love. The main upside I can see is a 2T single with a roller crank and spare engines will be easy to get going. Good luck. Join the club.
 
I know of a good wheel builder. Forget finding original wheels from 80 years ago.
Cycle parts will be get it made or find something that happens to fit and look ok. Lights and mudguards are definitely in this category.
 
stevec67 said:
I looked it up. It's a 225c.c. 2T single, RE's answer to the BSA Bantam. No great performance but nice enough. Low value, so hard to restore and make a profit. You could probably get it rolling with bits that you could make fit but it would be a labour of love. The main upside I can see is a 2T single with a roller crank and spare engines will be easy to get going. Good luck. Join the club.
Click to expand...

Pedant alert... but the Bantam was post war and based on a DKW design that BSA kinda nicked in war reparations... as you were:)
 
What does he want to do with it? If it's just get it going, that's fine. However a little bike like this was never about performance, I bet you will be looking at 3 or 4 bhp, top speed 35-40 and brakes to match. Is that going to work for you?

You could build it up with modern bits but even a modest 125 would overwhelm the brakes and chassis. Are you sure that you want to start here?
 
stevec67 said:
What does he want to do with it? If it's just get it going, that's fine. However a little bike like this was never about performance, I bet you will be looking at 3 or 4 bhp, top speed 35-40 and brakes to match. Is that going to work for you?

You could build it up with modern bits but even a modest 125 would overwhelm the brakes and chassis. Are you sure that you want to start here?
Click to expand...
Its just for fun, shows and the odd old bike run, he likes 20's and 30's bikes but they are too expensive so this was the only way to make it affordable. He wants it to still look 30's though
 
stevec67 said:
I know of a good wheel builder. Forget finding original wheels from 80 years ago.
Cycle parts will be get it made or find something that happens to fit and look ok. Lights and mudguards are definitely in this category.
Click to expand...
Thank s but the problem we have with a wheel builder is assuming we can find a pair of hubs they want £600+ for a pair, he can't afford that and you would be spending more than the bikes worth.
 
stevec67 said:
I looked it up. It's a 225c.c. 2T single, RE's answer to the BSA Bantam. No great performance but nice enough. Low value, so hard to restore and make a profit. You could probably get it rolling with bits that you could make fit but it would be a labour of love. The main upside I can see is a 2T single with a roller crank and spare engines will be easy to get going. Good luck. Join the club.
Click to expand...
The Enfield club looks to be for post war stuff the vintage club looks good but at £40 a year looks very expensive for meets that are not local but might be the only option?
He knows its going to be a labour of love but he just likes them, its not for a profit just wants to own one and use it.
 
Good luck with that! Shame he doesn't like 70s Japanese bikes. Might have been a bit less daunting?
 
Surely there’s a (free) forum? Any local ‘lifestyle’ meets where knowledge might be found? For example, in Bury St Ed’s we have Krazy Horse Nights, organised by the Krazy Horse bike shop once a month. Hundreds of bikes, many more people turn up to chat and gawp. Bikes from brand new to ancient are there, and I’d guess someone would know someone who could help.
 
Tony has the answer. Somewhere there will be a forum with likeminded souls I used to have a mate when I was into cars, we'd work together on it, do a bit round the house, have a pint. Even his wife was happy, 2 of us did more in one day than he did all weekend on his own.
 
One problem might be (don't know the UK laws) that if it is not original, put assembled with bits ancient and modern, it will not be classified as "Vintage" and will not be allowed on the road because of air pollution and/or noise. Also, making a large number of alien parts fit and work together properly can be technically very difficult and very expensive. And in the end you will have a bike that is worth nothing. Sorry to be negative, but I've done this kind of thing most of my life, starting with a 1955 AJS 500 twin, in the early '70s.
Why not buy one of the current Indian Enfields? I'm sure it would work out cheaper and you'd have something to sell on eventually.
 
winchman said:
Thank s but the problem we have with a wheel builder is assuming we can find a pair of hubs they want £600+ for a pair, he can't afford that and you would be spending more than the bikes worth.
Click to expand...
This is the problem with low value vehicles, be they cars or bikes. It costs as much to build 2 wheels for a BSA 250 as it does for a Brough Superior, give or take. Then you have a machine that will just about do 40 and was only ever a cheap disposable get-to-work back in the day. I think I read somewhere that there were only about 15 of these left, sometimes there is a good reason for this. Would you or anyone else spend £1000 resurrecting a 1980 CZ125?
 
Another thought: you can't do things on-the-cheap with bikes. Everything, wheels, bearings, brakes, steering head, suspension, can be very dangerous if not perfect. Even at 40 MPH.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
Surely there’s a (free) forum? Any local ‘lifestyle’ meets where knowledge might be found? For example, in Bury St Ed’s we have Krazy Horse Nights, organised by the Krazy Horse bike shop once a month. Hundreds of bikes, many more people turn up to chat and gawp. Bikes from brand new to ancient are there, and I’d guess someone would know someone who could help.
Click to expand...
The most local bike meet you have to have white hair and cash the pension pot in, rarely any pre 2000 bikes attend but we are looking further afield
 
richgilb said:
Good luck with that! Shame he doesn't like 70s Japanese bikes. Might have been a bit less daunting?
Click to expand...
He does, he has a 60's BSA and a 85 Honda, he just likes vintage cars and bikes, cars are too big bikes too expensive so this was his only way in to the world of older bikes.
 
stevec67 said:
This is the problem with low value vehicles, be they cars or bikes. It costs as much to build 2 wheels for a BSA 250 as it does for a Brough Superior, give or take. Then you have a machine that will just about do 40 and was only ever a cheap disposable get-to-work back in the day. I think I read somewhere that there were only about 15 of these left, sometimes there is a good reason for this. Would you or anyone else spend £1000 resurrecting a 1980 CZ125?
Click to expand...
I agree, look at Honda 90's who would have thought some one would pay £1000 for one! or even race them!
 
OK. But remember that everything is important. A loose handlebar mounting, a dodgy mudguard mounting, a bad drive chail, a snapping throttle, clutch or brake cable. For cables you'll have to make your own, soldering the nipples on. This must be done really well or the nipples come off. Just an example....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top